SCHOFIELD BARRACKS, HAWAII -- Chaplains and Chaplain Assistants across the 25th Infantry Division participated in the Best Unit Ministry Team Training Competition, May 4, at a military operations site. This event tested basic Soldier skills, competencies and ministry specific skill sets.
"Each month since October we have been doing different training such as land navigation or react to contact drills," said Sgt. Cody Brown, chaplain's assistant for the 25th Infantry Division. "This exercise is meant to bring it all together and see where we sit as a unit and separately."
Unit ministry teams were presented with a mission that required them to navigate through a village and reach a NATO representative for medical supplies. The scenario is meant to mimic real life situations chaplains and chaplain's assistants may face while deployed.
"As chaplains, we tend to be very base centric, but if we go on mission we have to know how to nest ourselves in a patrol," said Chaplain Marshall Coen of the 25th ID. "The more comfortable we are with tactical operations, the more proficient we can be with key leader engagements."
"The training put things in context," said Chaplain Scott Kennaugh, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 25th ID. "You can train on one skill set, but it's hard to comprehend how they fit into the big picture and the Army as a whole without bringing them all together."
Each team was evaluated on nine lanes including preventative maintenance on a vehicle, mission oriented protective postures, react to contact and performing an impromptu memorial service for a fallen Soldier among other tasks.
"This has never been done in the chaplain core before, but once upon a time the Expert Infantryman Badge wasn't done either for infantrymen," said Coen. "Our goal is to get Soldiers competent with their skill sets and key leader engagements so they can be more proficient and provide better support to their units."
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